That’s when it hit me. This isolated odd sprinkling of rain was sent to wash away all the bad that has happened at Wrigley the last two days. The flash of lightening and the rumble of thunder was to re-energize the bats. It’s all gonna be good for Game 5 tonight.

Those are the kinds of things you think of when you’re a Cubs fan.

This is the kind of hope you harbor that your team will come through.

No doubt, the Cubs need a revival. Can I get an Amen?
No doubt, they can win three in a row against Cleveland. Preach it, brother.
No doubt, they will win tonight. Do I hear a Hallelujah?

The rains have washed away the evil spirits. The truth will set the Cubs free.

The Friendly Confines will be our friends again.

The Cubs are gonna hit again. They’re gonna field again.

Come what may, the Cubs are gonna win again and again and again.

Win one, and it’s off to Cleveland in continued pursuit of the prize.

For some, a return trip to Cleveland is considered a cruel second place prize in a raffle. For the Cubs, it’s now for the Grand Prize.

There’s a place on the road called Twotoone. It’s on the path to Ringville. Most teams pass through Twotoone. It’s at a crossroads on the journey.

Before you get there, you take a look at the map and realize what got you this far. Then you reflect on the successes and correct your mistakes.

After your visit, you move on and continue the journey having left Twotoone feeling a little better than when you got there.

That’s the course the Cubs have been following on this magical 2016 playoff journey with the series sitting at two games to one.

The first trip to Twotoone, didn’t start out all that well. Then came the magical 9th inning where singles and walks and bunts led to a 4-run 9th inning and small ball with the help of a 100MPH flame-thrower vanquished the Giants in an even-numbered year.

The next trip to Twotoonne was a 13 hit, 10 run outburst for a 10-2 Cubs win over the Dodgers, the first of three consecutive wins that catapulted them to their first National League pennant in 71 years.

Tonight, the Cubs come to Twotoone again, their inconsistent sticks a perplexing mystery. But this oasis has been friendly to them, a place to regroup and get over the bumps in the road and move a little closer to Ringville.

A place thus far where Giants are conquered and mythical pitchers defeated.

And it’s Saturday night and it’s been alright for fighting back. Three wins on the Cubs’ Playoff path have come on a Saturday night. So at 7 o’clock it’s gonna be time to rock on another Saturday in the Park.

It’s the World Series and the Cubs are in it. Let’s get this train back on the tracks and have a little fun enjoying the moment.

Shazam. A home World Series game at Wrigley Field. First one in 71 years. Baseball history.

The media storm has hit. The North Side of Chicago is the baseball center of the universe, in October no less. Hype abounds.

In case you’ve missed it, the Cubs are appearing in their first World Series since 1945 looking to win their first World Series title since 1908.

The baseball-watching nation and Chicago Cubs fans in particular have been inundated with so much of this “back in the day” and “the last time this happened was” and “we found a guy who was alive in 1908 but is now under a rock” knowledge that we are truly prepared to kick butt on any Jeopardy category named 1908 or 1945

1908 for $100.
The answer is: “Teddy Roosevelt”
Who was the President the last time the Cubs won a World Series?
Let’s try 1945 for $200 please Alex.
The answer is: “48”
How many States did America have the year the Cubs last won the pennant?

Most all of these Cubs’ World Series firsts are comical really once you get over the “Oh Wow” effect. OF COURSE there are firsts. There hasn’t been a Cubs or Wrigley Field World Series game played since1945. A lot has happened in 71 years. Here’s a few obvious firsts:

First televised World Series game in Wrigley Field. The first World Series games on TV were for the 1947 Fall Classic between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Of course.

The first World Series night game at Wrigley Field. There were no lights at the Friendly Confines until August, 1988. Of course.

The first black player from the Cubs in a WS game, take your pick, but Dexter Fowler leads off for the Cubs, so he gets the nod. Jackie Robinson broke the “color barrier” in 1947 two years after the Cubs 1945 World Series, so of course.

Three new records are guaranteed to be set, one every day this weekend. Friday October 28, 2016 marks the latest a game has ever been played at Wrigley Field. That record will be broken on Saturday October 29, 2016 and then on Sunday, October 30, 2016.

It all gets a little silly after a while. When the dust settles, only one streak may be left standing, first televised day World Series game at Wrigley Field. Yeah, there’s another one too.

Since April, when queried on my thoughts on the Cubs chance for success this season, my reply has always been, “cautiously optimistic.”